Welcome to the Global Questions in Advanced Biology Conference, The Organising Committee is pleased to invite you to participate in this Conference, which will be an excellent opportunity to think about the current frontiers in biological sciences and the newly appeared challenges in this domain after the conceptual and technological revolution of recent years. Since the different disciplines in biological sciences have definitely crossed their boundaries, specialization is no longer a hallmark for the researchers involved. The transversality of new techniques has helped all biological disciplines to benefit from concepts that, until recently, belonged to a highly specialized community of researchers. However, it is unusual to find conferences which facilitate the dialogue between the many disciplines in biological sciences. Therefore, the main aim of this conference, planned to celebrate the centenary of the Catalan Society of Biology, is to promote the interaction among the many disciplines included in biology (e.g. neuroscience, molecular biology, ecology,etc) to enrich our knowledge through different and contrasting points of view. Sessions: Session I: Session II: Institut d’Estudis Catalans GLOBAL QUESTIONS ON ADVANCED BIOLOGY C/ Carme, 47 - Barcelona With the support of Generalitat de Catalunya Departament d’Economia i Coneixement Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca MINISTERIO DE ECONOMIA Y COMPETIVIDAD Universitat de Barcelona An international conference on interdisciplinary frontiers in biology As part of the first Centenary of the Societat Catalana de Biologia Sponsored by Molecular Biology (Chromatin and Epigenetics), Molecular Biology of cancer, Reproductive Biology and Genomics and Proteomics. Biophysics, Molecular Biology, Systems Biology and Neurobiology. 9th - 12th of July 2012 Registration fees Until 25th May / After 25th May Session III: Developmental Biology, Evolutionary Biology, Neurobiology and Cell Signalling. Session IV: Aquaculture, and Virology. Ecology, Microbiology 30 € / 45 € associates of the SCB, ICEA, ICHN, SCI I CBC 45 € / 60 € students, PhD students 60 € / 75 € others For more information: http://scb-congres.espais.iec.cat/ Institut d’Estudis Catalans C/ Carme, 47 - Barcelona Conferenciants: Rui Alves, UdL Ricard Amils, UAM Enric Ballesteros, CSIC Jordi Bascompte, CSIC Miguel Beato, CRG Mercè Berlanga, UB Javier Buceta PCB-UB Elías Campo, IDIBAPS Josep Casadesús, Univ. Sevilla Oriol Casanovas, ICO-IDIBELL Elena Cattaneo, Univ. de Milà Luciano di Croce, CRG Esteban Domingo, CSIC Manel Esteller, IDIBELL Isabel Esteve, UAB Xavier Estivill, CRG Isabel Fariñas, UV Jorge Ferrer, IDIBAPS Jordi Gómez, CSIC Ricard Guerrero, IEC Roderic Guigó, CRG Roger Guimerà, URV Tekumseh Fitch, Univ. de Viena Ivo Gut, CNAG Vivek Malhotra, CRG Miguel Ángel Martínez, IRSICAIXA Loreta Medina, UdL Ángela Nieto, UMH Balbina Nogales, UIB Rafael Oliva, UB Modesto Orozco, UB Carles Pedrós-Alió, ICM-CSIC Manuel Perucho, IMPPC Carles Pelejero, ICM-CSIC Josep Peñuelas, CSIC Juli Peretó, UV Francesc Piferrer, ICM-CSIC Pere Puigdomènech, CRAG Jaume Reventós, IRHVH Luis Ruiz, JANUS DEVELOPMENT Luis Serrano, CRG Ricard Solé, UPF V. Savolainen, Imperial College Fernando Valladares, CSIC Carlos Vicario-Abejón, Institut Cajal Marco Vignuzi, Institut Pasteur Miquel Viñas, UB Adriana Zingone, UAM Preliminary program Monday 9th of July 8.30 h Arrival and registration 9.00 h Welcome Biophysics Systems biology Cellular and molecular neurobiology 18.15 h Beer & Posters Wednesday 11th of July 9.15 h Parallel sessions: Epigenetics mechanisms in health and disease Biomedical proteomics and transcriptomics Gametes, stem cells and differentiation Computational and structural biology 9.15 h Parallel sessions: Signaling in the nervous system Development biology Evolutionary biology 11.15 h Coffee break 11.15 h Coffee break 12.00 h Institutional parliaments Inaugural plenary lecture: Epigenetics: from biology to disease Manel Esteller, IDIBELL 12.00 h Plenary lecture 13.30 h Lunch 13.30 h Lunch 15.00 h Round tables 15.00 h Round tables 16.30 h Parallel sessions: Regulation of chromatin functions Genes and Genomes Proliferantion, angiogenesis and metastasis Biology of reproduction 16.30 h Session: Evolution and development of the nervous system 18.15 h Beer & Posters Tuesday 10th of July 9.15 h Parallel sessions: Cell damage and cell death Receptors, channels and transporters Traffic and signaling in health and disease From genotype to phenotype: where are we now? Huntingtin from evolution to pathology via the embryonic stem cells Elena Cattaneo, University of Milan, Italy 18.15 h Beer & Posters Thursday 12th of July 9.15 h Virology I, Microbiology I, Ecology I and Aquaculture I 11.15 h Coffee break 12.00 h Plenary lectures: The origins of AIDS virus Miguel Ángel Martínez, IRSICAIXA Simbiotic planet. Ricard Guerrero, IEC Epigenetics in ecological research and animal production. Francesc Piferrer, ICM-CSIC 11.15 h Coffee break 13.30 h Lunch 12.00 h Plenary lecture: 15.00 h Round tables The language evolution. Tekumseh Fitch, Dept. of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Austria 13.30 h Lunch 15.00 h Round tables 16.30 h Parallel sessions: Molecular biology in model organisms 16.30 h Virology II, Microbiology II, Ecology II and Aquaculture II 19.30 h Closing plenary lecture: Mutualistic netwoks: the architecture of biodiversity. Jordi Bascompte, Doñana Biological Station, CSIC 21.00 h Gala dinner and dancing